Converging Lines

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This lesson, Converging Lines, is all about (you guessed it!) lines that converge. This means that there are a series of lines in the picture, and they all go to meet at a single point.

Many of the Photography students generally take all their pictures at school. The most common ideas I've seen for that lesson were as such: The side of the school (the side is very flat, and the lines in the bricks converge), a locker hallway, or sometimes the wood floor in the gym. However, the same ideas are always generated when this lesson is used, because everyone uses the same local. No matter how you tweak it, you can only take so many pictures of a row of lockers. This type of stuff is pretty unoriginal, and to use a word you all use alot: boring.

If you really want to make your picture stick out of the rest, the first thing you must realize is you need to take pictures of different places. Even if you are only shooting at school, try and think one step ahead of everyone else. Maybe find some converging lines in an unused classroom, or at lunch (converging lunch line maybe?) A good picture, is a unique picture.

Another important part of the converging lines lesson is to decide what part is going to be in focus. Generally, one part of the line is closer to you, and one is farther away. Depending on the picture, either the fore, or background will be better to be in focus (rarely the middleground). One thing you can do, is to take both pictures, and then decide later which one is better. I typically take two pictures of everything, just to be safe. This however, could count as two pictures, because it is essentially the same object.

In the end, it is incredibly important above all to stay original, and keep your focusing straight. Keep these two things in mind, and you should be happy to see your first A+ in photography class.